'Musharraf must be made accountable for his actions'

Pakistan's parliament will decide the issue of granting indemnity to former President Pervez Musharraf following his resignation, though the PML-N believes he should be made accountable for his actions, party chief Nawaz Sharif said on Friday.

The parliament, being an elected and sovereign body, will decide about granting indemnity to Musharraf. "It is up to the parliament to decide but the PML-N has no intention of giving him indemnity," Sharif told BBC World News.

Musharraf committed a gross violation of the constitution when he imposed emergency last year and deposed members of the superior judiciary as he had no authority to do so under the constitution and law, Sharif said.

"I have not seen any country of the world where judges are put under house arrest, thrown them out of their offices, and their children are not allowed to go to school," said Sharif, who was deposed as prime minister by Musharraf in 1999. He said it is imperative to reinstate the deposed judges to ensure democracy in Pakistan.

In a recent interview, Sharif also said he would not oppose any attempt by Musharraf to go abroad. Musharraf resigned on Monday to avoid impeachment by the Pakistan People's Party-led ruling coalition.

Asked about the delay by the coalition in reinstating the judges sacked by Musharraf, Sharif said a committee of the ruling alliance will draft a resolution to be tabled in parliament by Monday to restore the judges.

"I have told the committee that on Monday the resolution must be tabled in parliament. There are two more days for debate and discussion, and on Wednesday the judges must be reinstated....This is our proposal," he said.

The PML-N has made it clear to its coalition partners a number of times that reinstating the deposed judges is very important and "we are still trying to persuade it", he added.